Gary....You can use any type sandpaper...coarse or fine or in between , different shades of brown, etc. Just an alternative if you have no Pheasant feathers...also I put a good amount of epoxy but a thin coat will show the grains better, ...and a fine sandpaper in a shade of brown will copy the brown crab carapace perfectly. Using different shades will allow you to see what the shades of the real thing are in certain estuaries and the grass flats on north Monomoy.

John,
WOW! Creative thinking for the carapace, and an exceptional tie. This W/E I am going to try a few. Do you think the local hardware store will wonder about someone asking for sandpaper in certain colors? Thanks for sharing.

Jim, tell them you have a sandpaper collection ...then you can share your hobby here on the forum and we can compare our collections. I will send you an application to the "Sandpaper Collectors Society"

Thank Pal....wish I could...I am here in Plymouth and just dropped Sally off at Logan to go to Naples for a Golf Tournament....maybe I can travel after I finish next year with putting my daughter though her last year in school....she is in Florence, Italy for the semester....By the way, If you are in Chatham next week, Penguin is tying at the same location where I tied......so........as in the movie "Blues Brothers"...I will volunteer to bring the chicken wire....

As a comparison, here are the usual Pheasant, partridge carapces...I had post these about 3 years ago. I think you could find as many varieties of sandpaper as you can for the usual carapaces to match various colors of the various little crabs

Just one other thing. I have always opted to use whatever I can find in nature as the carapace... and do not like using just colored foam or dotting stuff with a magic marker.... so I have also used Fall leaves, which are very durable under the epoxy or other sealant..I wish I had a few finished flies but used them up last season....I grabbed a few from outside... you will have a greater choice of natural shades in the fall as oppose to now....but as you can see from the photos... the texture and uneven colors are perfect.

The talent you guys have is incredible. The time and patience the tiers here at this forum have is astounding. Really the flies that Pete and John have been showing us are pure works of beauty and love. You can't make something that beautiful without the love of fly fishing and of mother nature herself.
Please keep them coming.
cheers
OC